illinaworth



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1..

J. ILLINGWORTH. APPARATUS FOR GARBONIZING' VEGETABLE FIBERS.

No; 430,127. Patented June 1'7, 1890 .v

INVENTOR:

WITNESSES: BJ

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

J. ILLINGWORTH. ABPARATUS'POR OARBONIZING VEGETABLE FIBERS.

No. 430,127. Patented June 17, 1890.

INVEN'TO R:

WITNESSES: J I

Q By

UNITED STATES 'ATENT FFICE.

JOHN ILLINGVORTH, OF BATLEY, COUNTY OFYORK, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR CARBONIZING VEGETABLE FlBERS.-

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,127, dated June 17,1890.

Application filed December 10, 1889. 8eria1 N- 333,Z46. (No model.)Patented in England December 20, 1888, No. 18,614.

cember 20, 1888,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machinery to be employed for carbonizing orseparating and destroying cotton or other vegetable mattercontained inrags or other like material. In carrying out my invention I employ along cylinder composed of sheet-iron, steel, or other suitable material.Fabrics or fibers to be 0perated upon are placed into this cylinder,which is arranged to be lower at the delivery end than at the feedingend. The cylinder is mounted upon rollers which are driven by suitablegearing for the purpose of giving rotary motion to the said cylinder.The delivery end of the cylinder, or the whole of said cylinder, may beperforated, and the fiber to be fed therein is placed in a hopper, andby means of a pair of feed-rollers the material to be operated uponisfed automatically into the machine.- At the delivery end or front of themachine I introduce gases, which are admitted by means of a pipe from aretort in close proximity to the machine. Projecting from the inside ofthe cylinder are a number of teeth or spikes so arranged that as thecylinder revolves the spikes gather up the fabrics and carry them arounduntil at a given point the fabrics fall off the spikes. Consequently asthe fabrics are thus agitated within the cylinder the gases freelyimpinge upon every part, thereby thoroughly carbonizing or destroyingthe vegetable matter, leaving the animal fiber intact. As the cylinderis placed at an inclination, thefabrics travel slowly forward throughthe cylinder.

The apparatus is placed within a room or surrounded by suitablebrick-work or iron frame-work, and the temperature is got up to anyrequired degree by means of a fire. or a suitable arrangement of steamor hot-air pipes.

In order that my invention may be better understood, I will now proceedto describe the same more fully, and for that purpose make reference tothe accompanying sheets of drawings, illustrative thereof, wherein vFigure 1 is a sectional elevation of a carbonizing-machine constructedaccord ng to my invention, and Fig. 2 a cross-section of same through'the line 1 2 of Fig. 1. The driving mechanism is shown in Fig. 3,wh1leFig. 4 is a section through line 3 4 in Fig. 1.

A represents the metal cylinder, the outer side of which is providedwith rings or flanged pulleys B, resting upon smaller anti-fr1ct onpulleys C, the latter of which support the said cylinder and allow it torevolve freely thereon without much friction. The cylinder has alsoplaced onto it a toothed wheelD in gear with a pinion-wheel E, bywhichthe cylinder is made to revolve. The pinionwheel E, fixed uponshaft F, receives its rotary motion by means of worm-wheel G and wormII, fixed upon the main driving-shaft I of the machine.

J is a hopper, in which are two toothed feedrollers K and L, caused torevolve by means of worms and wheels (1. and Z), driven by means of thechain M from the pulley N, fixed upon shaft F. The rags or other fibrousmaterial to be carbonized is introduced into the hopper J and is drawninto the machine by the feed-rollers K and L, which are caused torevolve, as indicated by arrows, in such a manner as to drag or draw thefiber into the cylinder A, and when the fiber enters the said cylinderthe spikes O carry the said fiber around until they reach near the topof the cylinder, when by their own weight they fall again to the bottomof the cylinder, and this is continually going on so long as thecylinder revolves. Consequently the fabrics are freely and thoroughlyagitated, and, as the outlet end of the cylinder is placed lower thanthe inlet, it follows that as the cylinder revolves the fabrics willtraverse out at the opposite end.

The carbonizing-gases to destroy the vegetable matter in the rags orother fiber are generated in the retort P, such gases being conveyed bythe pipe Q into the annular space R (see Fig. 2) left between thebrickwork S and the outside of the revolving cylinder A, and as thecylinder is perforated, as shown by letter 0, the fumes of the gasespass through the said perforations into the revolvin g cylinder andintermingle with the-fabrics WhlCh are being freely carried about andagitated by the spikes. Thus the vegetable matter will be thoroughlydestroyed, but the animal fiber will remain intact.

Instead of introducing the gases at the delivery end of the machine, asshown and described, the said gases may be introduced by pipe T, asshown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, at the feeding end of the machine, inwhich case the gases will travel through the whole length of thecylinder. The fumes of the gases may be drawnout of the cylinder andannular space by means of an exhaust-fan.

For effectually carbonizing fabrics and fibrous materials, it isnecessary that the cylinder and chambers should be heated at suitabletemperatures, and this I accomplish by means of a furnace, which may bemade in the grate U, the heat therefrom passing along the flue V,whereby the metal floor-plates W will become heated, which heat isradiated or glven off to the various parts of the brickwork andcylinder, and if necessary the floorplates W may be perforated, orinstead of employing a furnace for heating the parts a number of steamor hot-air pipes may be used.

Although I have shown and described this machine as being employed forcarbonizing or separating vegetable from animal matter, the machine isequally well adapted for drying wool, cotton, or other fibrousmaterials; but when so employed the use of gas would not be required.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, with a hollowchamberprovided with partitions-and meanssuch as a furnace-for heating the airwithin the same, of a revoluble perforated cylinder supported in saidchamber and provided with spikes for raising the rags, a hopper andrevoluble feed-rolls for feeding the rags into one end of the cylinder,and a retort connected to said chamber for supplying carbonizinggases tothe cylinder and to that portion of the chamber with which theperforations communicate, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. The combination, with a hollow heated chamber provided withpartitions and with a.

space R for earbonizing-gases, of a revoluble perforated cylinderpassing through said space and provided with spikes for raising therags, a hopper and revoluble feed-rolls for feeding the rags into oneend of thecylinder, and a retort for supplying carbonizinggases to saidspace R, with which the said perforations in the cylinder communicate,

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of'twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN ILLINGWORTH.

